Grimmauld Place
by btyrhrtout
Summary: Snape travels to the headquarters of the Order to alert them that Sirius is being held at the Ministry. A "lost moment" from The Order of The Phoenix.


Tonks ascended the dark, narrow staircase that lead from the kitchen to the foyer, whistling some snippet of a song she couldn't remember the name of and timing the heavy thud of her boots to Sirius's emphatic pounding on the table below. She had just tripped over the threshold into the long hallway when someone knocked loudly on the front door. Expecting Bill Weasley, she walked towards the door. Little puffs of dust erupted from the moth-eaten carpet with each step she took. She stood on her tiptoes, peering through the tiny hole in the door, before tapping it with her wand and pulling it open.

"Wotcher, Sev!" she said jovially, stepping back to admit the Snape into the hall. "Come by for some of Molly's potato soup?"

He pushed back the hood of his cloak and gave Tonks a sneer. "Not tonight. Tell me,_ Nympha_dora, is there anyone here whose age surpasses their shoe size?"

She stuffed her hands into the kangaroo pocket of the hooded sweatshirt she wore, and jerked her head vaguely towards the rear of the house. "Everyone's downstairs. We just finished up a late dinner."

"Charming." He turned in a swirl of black robes and headed for the stairs. Tonks made a rude face to his back, then followed. There was nothing quite like watching the Snape trying to interact with the rest of the Order. "And you haven't been missing _dear_ cousin Sirius this evening?"

"What?" she asked, trailing in his wake as they descended the stairs. "I only left him down here ten seconds ago."

Down in the kitchen, Lupin was studying the back page of _The Daily Prophet _while Molly cleared the table. Mad-Eye, Arthur and Sirius were talking over each other, having an argument over something or another. Kingsley and Hestia Jones were standing near the fireplace, looking over a sheaf of parchment. Everyone looked up as Snape and Tonks entered.

Snape stopped short at the sight of Sirius, a look of shock contorting his sallow-skinned face before it became impassive once more. In an instant, Lupin was on his feet, staring at him. "Severus?" he questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"It seems," Snape said, addressing Sirius, "that you are not being held captive at the Ministry of Magic."

"What sort of nonsense are you talking, Snape? I've been holed up in here for a bloody fortnight."

"Potter and his friends took off for London not an hour ago, operating under the assumption that you are being held captive by the Dark Lord and are barely an inch from death. Regrettably, it seems as though he is... mistaken."

The warm air of the kitchen was still for a long moment. Finally, Mad-Eye broke the silence. "How do you know this, Severus?" he asked, studying Snape closely. His eye whizzed in its socket.

"The insufferable cow Dolores Umbridge sent for me, demanding Veritaserum. When I arrived in her office, I found her interrogating Potter and a number of others. He was in a panic, and tried to use your droll little codename to alert me of your... predicament. Very foolish, I believe she suspected something. When I saw her last, she was leading Potter and one of his 'chums' out into the Forbidden Forest."

Sirius's face was flushed with anger. "The Forbidden Forest! But you just charged in here saying that Harry had left for the Ministry of Magic! What are you playing at, _Snivellus_?"

Snape slammed his hands down onto the tabletop and leaned across it, until his face was only centimeters away from Sirius's. When he spoke, his voice was low and dangerous. "Though you think me clueless, _Black_, I assure you that I possess a significant mental capacity. I do not routinely desert my post to entertain half-baked notions of what_ could_ or _might_ happen. After Potter's abysmal attempt at alerting me to your 'capture', I waited to see what course of action he would take. Shortly after he left for the Forbidden Forest with Dolores Umbridge, Potter and Miss Granger emerged from the woods quite alone, and then rejoined their little band of misfits. They then set off for the Ministry, at which time I immediately left the castle for Hogsmeade village, where I was then able to Apparate to your very doorstep." He straightened up and coolly adjusted the sleeves of his robes.

"Who else is Harry with?" Lupin asked.

"He left Hogwarts with Weasley, Longbottom, Miss Granger, Miss Lovegood and Miss Weasley."

"But surely they can't leave the castle grounds!" Molly said, a slightly hysterical note in her voice. "None of them can Apparate! They don't all have brooms--"

"I believe they left on thestrals."

With a clatter of dishes, Molly sank into an empty chair, pressing a hand to her throat, realizing that the simple problem of transportation would not have stopped them. "But how could they think Sirius was in trouble?"

"It seems as though Potter has not been attending to his homework as he should. The Dark Lord must have planted the idea in his head, with the hopes of luring Potter into--"

"Shit!" Sirius roared, jumping up from the table. His chair fell backwards onto the flagstone floor with a clatter. "He's heading into the Department of Mysteries!"

A floor above them, someone pounded on the door. "Maybe that's them." Molly said hopefully, getting to her feet and hurrying for the stairs which, despite her short legs and flowered skirt, she scampered up two at a time.

"Come on, we have to go! Now!" Sirius yelled, reaching for the Floo powder on the mantle. Lupin grabbed it from him.

"Hold it, Sirius, we can't just go charging into the Ministry. We need to have a plan and--"

"The devil with plans!" he replied, an almost manic gleam in his eye as he checked his pocket for his wand. "We need to find Harry before he finds--"

Arthur held up a hand as hurried footsteps sounded above them. "Now just wait a moment. Perhaps Molly was right, and--"

Bill Weasley rushed into the kitchen, followed by a frantic-looking Molly. "Mum just told me. We have to go now."

Sirius looked at Lupin and Arthur with a satisfied expression on his face. Grimly, Arthur nodded and started for the hearth. Lupin followed him closely.

"No!" Molly cried. "No, Arthur, you're in no condition!"

"Molly--" he began, but Kingsley spoke, his deep, slow voice quiet but authoritative. "She is right, Arthur. Tonight, you stay here."

"We have to get a message to Dumbledore." Bill said. He looked at Snape. "Professor Snape, can you help us with that?"

Snape regarded Bill for a moment. "I might be able to help you there, Mr. Weasley."

Moody stumped forward on his walking stick, wand clutched in his other fist. "All right, all right, listen up. Molly, Arthur, you stay here in case they show up. Severus, take Bill and Hestia with you, see if you can't get word to Dumbledore. Kingsley, Lupin, Tonks, Sirius-- you're with me. Wands at the ready."

In the chaos that followed Mad-Eye's orders, Tonks pulled her wand out of her hooded sweatshirt and moved towards the fireplace, again whistling the same chorus at a faster clip. Snape grabbed her forearm as he swept towards the staircase behind Hestia.

"And Tonks, if you ever call me 'Sev' again, I regret to inform you that we shall have... issues."

"Will do, Snape!" she replied cheerfully, and hurried out his grip and to the fireplace, where Moody was calling for her and pounding his walking stick impatiently against the floor. She grabbed a handful of powder from the proffered can, tossed it into the hearth, and stepped into the emerald-green flames.

* * *

**Author's Note**: My kiddo is home sick today. In between doing a week's worth of dishes, administering Children's Motrin, and queuing up Disney movies, I came up with this little "missing piece" from OotP. Hope you enjoyed it.


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